cloth diapering for some time now. Since
I am new at this I went to the professionals all of you stay at home moms (WAHMs)
that have been where I am. What I have
learned is that there are lots of fabrics to work with, but unfortunately the
area I live in has not gotten on board with stocking fabrics for cloth
diapering. So I found the next best
thing Babyville Boutique cloth diapering kits and tools. I combined what I learned from Babyville
Boutique with the FREE newborn pattern from Darling Diapers.
Diapers pattern over the Babyville Boutique pattern because they are designed
for a smaller baby 5-10 pounds.
Currently I am 35 weeks and baby boy is 5.2 pounds!! The best part about using the Darling Diapers
Pattern is that selling diapers made
from this pattern does not require a license. WAHMs may use this pattern to
create diapers to sell and they do not need to identify the pattern as the free
Darling Diapers newborn pattern.
thing you need to do is go to Darling Diapers to get your FREE patterns. Next if you are unfortunate like me, go to
Joann Fabric and Craft Store and check out their Babyville Boutique line. If
you don?t have a Joann’s you can find them online.
from Babyville Boutique:
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Babyville
Snap Pliers–$19.99
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Babyville
Book Cloth Diapers Made Easy–$9.99
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Babyville
Waterproof (PUL) Diaper Fabric
Monkey & Hoot-3/pkg–$14.99
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Babyville
Snaps Yellow, Green & Orange–$7.99
Other
Materials Needed:
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1
yard of fleece for inside lining (they do have waterproof PUL)
?
100
% polyester thread or it will wick through and your diaper will leak
?
Quilting
Batting?Nature’s Touch White Cotton with Scrim (remember I had to
improvise
some) for soakers.
?
?
? polyester braid
elastic (about 15? per diaper)
?
Singer
water soluble disappearing ink for marking your snaps and elastic.
$25 per diaper if you purchase from a retailer.
The diaper kit I bought was designed for one diaper per fabric sampling, but I
was able to get nine diapers out of the kit!!
Woot!! Woot!!
1:
patterns go to Darling Diaper’s website to get your FREE newborn patterns. You will need to print, cut, and tape the
diapers together. I used the RED pattern.
2:
to your fabric and begin cutting. Each
of the patterns have a soaker pattern within the diaper (just trace onto
computer paper). Once all your pieces
have been cut (outside fabric, inside lining, and soaker) you are ready to begin.
3:
sockets to the outer (PUL) layer of
fabric. Make sure to add a double layer for the snap area. To do this you will need your Singer water
soluble marker to draw on the fabric where the sockets should go. Then use the awl and snap press to attach the
sockets (all come in your snap pliers kit).
MAKE SURE YOUR SOCKETS are on
the side of the fabric that will eventually face out and the caps are on the
inside.
4:
soaking layers to have. I used two layers
with the quilting batting. First I added
a double layer to my lining by placing it in the center. Pin the soaker layers into place before you
begin sewing. I zig zaged the soaker onto the lining, and then sewed a line
down the middle to keep the soaker from bunching up. I made additional soakers using the same
pattern, but later had to cut a couple of inches off the original pattern to
fit inside the diaper. I plan to insert
soakers by laying them inside the diaper.
At this stage the baby will be moving so little I don?t expect the
soaker to move.
5:
wrong side of the diaper fabric. I went
ahead and put both my layers together (as I have instructed you to do in STEP 6). To tack your elastic you will need to sew
forwards and backwards to properly secure it into place. Use your elastic guide
on your pattern for the appropriate length for both the legs and the back of
the diaper.
6:
both facing inside out. So both the
sides you want to show are facing each other.
It is easier to sew the PUL
fabric with the lining on the bottom (PUL
wants to get stuck). When you sew PUL,
you always want the PUL to be against the feed dogs so it doesn’t stick to your
sewing foot. This is why I tacked my elastic to the PUL fabric.
snaps are attached (you need to be using a presser foot). Unfortunately I used a zipper foot so I used
the right point as a measurement for my seam allowance. As you sew move the elastic out of your way
continue sewing until you reach the opposite side of the snaps and stop. The opening will be the length of the
straight part of the top. Remember to
reinforce your starting/ending points by sewing forwards and backwards.
turning the diaper right side out.
you can pin your elastic into place to begin top stitching your diaper. This is
how you create your encasing for your elastic. MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT SEW YOUR ELASTIC. That’s why you pin it out of the way. Unfortunately when I used the RED
pattern I didn?t have room to top stitch the top of the diaper. I added an extra snap at the very top to use
for the umbilical cord to heal (first instead of waiting until the end). This way you snap it down out of the
way. So I had to turn the fabric down
and sew by hand (this is the last step).
You could add this snap last and top stitch the top of the diaper too.
began sewing beside the snaps (in the curve), and continued until I reached the same point on the
other side. While you are sewing at the
elastic points make sure you feel to be sure the elastic is pushed out of the
way of your presser foot. You will be
making an encasing for your elastic. As you
sew the areas with elastic make sure you are pulling/stretching the elastic to
complete the enclosure.
final step is to attach the studs to the diaper. Lay the diaper onto the pattern again to mark
how far apart to space the studs. Then
use the awl to pierce the fabric for the studs.
guy to test these babies out!! The next
post I write will be about my first experience with cloth diapers. I can?t wait!!